Machine for cutting keys and the like



May 4 1926;

. 1,583,086 R. o. MILLER ET AL- ucumn FOR CUTTING KEYS AND was LIKE Filed July 29, 1924 o v 51 I L'A' I 9- 4 InvenZ'Ers, R0565"? 171 126" 7174 lg/ yap F Patented May 4 19 UNITED STAT Es PATENTTOFFICE, y

. ROBERT o. MILLER AND EITIL I E. ILLER, 0E nEEEY, ooNnEo IciIT; SAID PHILIP a F. MILLER AssIeNoE To SAID EoBEET o. MILLER.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING KEYS A D THE LIKE.

Application filedJuly 29, 1924. Serial No. 728,900.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that ROBERT O. MILLER and PHILIP F. MILLER, both citizens of the United States, and both residents of Derby, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Cutting Keys and the like, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to machines particularly applicable for cutting keys, and the object of the invention, among things, is to provide a simple and efiicient machine with which keys of a certain type may be duplicated from a master key or templet.

The invention consists mainly of useful improvements in machines previously .proposed, and according to these improvements stops, gauges and other means are provided whereby either right or left handed keys, of

the common ordinary fiat-kind, may be cut equally well, and further the stops or gauges are arranged to operate in conjunction with an operative part of the key so that under all conditions, any number of keys may be produced from the master key with precise uniformity.

The invention will be more fully described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings and the novel features of the invention will be defined in the appends claims. In said drawings. 7

Figure 1 is a plan. view of the key holding part of the machine;

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is an end'view of the same part of the machine; and

Figure 4 isan end view of the complete machine which includes a cutter for the keys.

Referring to the drawings the improved machine has the frame 1 which is mounted so as to both slide and rock on the shaft 2, which shaft in turn is supported on the bed plate 3. The frame 1 has the handle 1 associated therewith, whereby the sliding movement of the frame on said shaft is cont-rolled, which movement is required in the operation of cutting a key. The handle 4 is secured to a forked member of which the lower leg a is pivotally connected to the bed plate 3 and the upper leg 6 is loosely engaged in the recess 0 (see Figure 2). When the handle is turned to the right or the left the frame 1 is accordingly caused to slide on the shaft 2. Said frame has uprights 5 at each end providing bearings 6 for stud shafts'Z, and these stud shafts have conical ends constituting center bearings for the rocking arm or auxiliary member 8. Adjusting means are provided so that any play may be taken'up and thereby the rocking movement of said arm can always-be true. A pair of clamps, each comprising a fixed jaw 9- anda movable jaw 10, are mountedon said arm, 8, and said clamps are tightenedby means of spindles 11. The frame lcarries three upwardly extending brackets 12, and these brackets support the gauges or stops-13. The central bracket carries two stops 13 and 13, and the 'end brackets carry one stop each, 13 in one instance and 13 in the other instance, and by this arrangement of stops, as will be hereinafter described, rightand left hand keys may be gauged respectively by the stops 13 and 13. In'the drawings the frame 1 carrying the brackets :12 supporting the gauges 13 and 13 is shown in a position so that said gauges are out ofengagement but when the key is set in a position for operationthe said member is thrown. over so that the fingers or stops 13 will engage the shoulders 17 of the master-key and the blank when a righthand key is tobe out. When a left-hand key is to be cut the gauges or stops 13 will engage the shoulders 17.

It should be understood in cutting keys of the ordinary type having a shoulder such as 16 along its lengththat both the master key 14 and the key blank 15 to be cut must be accurately placed within the respective jaw carried by said member 8, and to ensure uniform placing of the key and blank into a determined depth within the jaw of the clamps, the shoulder 16 serves as a gauge,

and further, the key and blank are placed within their clamps orholders in a determined position which is gauged by contact of the gauge pieces 13-13 for a right key and 13-13 for a left key with the shoulders 17 on the key andblank. The shoulder, so engaged, is the one which is engaged to determine the depth of insertion of the key in the lock. This shoulder is a determining factor in the accuracy ofthe key and the best gauging results are obtained by working from this point instead of from the shoulder on the opposite side of the key, which is not always made accurate in rela tion to the operative edge of the key.

In carrying out the invention in practice,

til

the key holding means, above described, may be employed in conjunction with any suitable cutting device, for example, such as a milling cutter 18, shown in Figure 4:. In this case the cutter is mounted on a shaft 19 supported by standardsQO resting on block 21, which is mounted on the bedplate 3 in a determined position with relation'to the key holder. The milling cutter is driven by any suitable means of power, and by means of the rocking and sliding movement of the frame and the independent rocking of said arm, the edge of the key blank to be out is brought into determined position with the milling cutter so that notches or nicks of variable length and depth may be out along said edge. The frame 1 swings from the fixed center 2' and as above mentioned the member 8 has a movement independently of the member 1. The adjusting screw 22, carried by the member 8, engages the stop 23 on the member 1 and by this means the angular movement of the member 8 is adjusted so as to compensate for the wear of the cutter and thus insure that the keyblank is brought against the said cutter at the proper angle.

It will be understood, in the operation of the machine, the key and the key blank must be firmly secured in the respective clamping jaw in a definite relation with each other, and among other things, in perfect alignment. The master key or form will then act as a templet and in the operation the guide finger or follower 2 preferably adjustable to allow adjustment to compensate for wear of the cutter, engages the notches in the edge of the master key, and by this engagement, the rocking and sliding movement of the frame, and the independent movement of the rock arm, is guided so that the key blank is brought into operating relation with the milling cutter under perfect guidance of the notched or nicked edge of the master key or templet and thereby the cuts in the key blank will be in precise conformity with the nicks and notches in the master key.

Various modifications in the construction of the hereinbefore described machine and in the application thereof may be made without departing from the spirit of this invention and it is to be understood that any modifications coming fairly within the terms of the appended claims shall be covered thereby.

We claim 1. A machine of the class described having a frame member; a support therefor; an auxiliary member carried by said frame arranged to be movable independently of said frame, clamping devices carried by, said auxiliary member arranged to hold a work piece and templet in a definite angle and in precise alignment with each other, and a series of gauge members carried by said frame member arranged to respectively gauge said work piece and templet so as to positively and precisely gauge the location of the latter in the making of either right or left handed keys.

2. In a key cutting machine of the class described, a rocking frame member slidably mounted on a support; an independently rocking arm mounted on said frame, clamping devices and gauge members associated therewith carried by said rocking arm and frame member arranged to respectively hold and gauge the location of a work piece and a templet in said clamping devices and in determined relation with means provided or cutting the work piece, and means comprising a device for engaging the templet where by the movement of said frameand rocking arm is guided.

'3. In a key cutting machine, a rocking frame slidably mounted on a support; an independently rocking arm having center bearings supported by said frame, clamping devices and gauge members carried by said arm and frame member respectively for de-. termining the location of a work piece and templet in said clamping devices, and means for engaging said templet for guiding the movement of said arm and frame whereby said work piece is brought into a determined operative position with relation to cutting means operating on said work piece.

' Signed at Derby, county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, this 12th day of July, 1924.

ROBERTO. MILLER. PHILIP F. MILLER. 

